Mayacamas Charter Middle School

Our name, Mayacamas, was inspired by the mountain chain that sits majestically between Napa and Sonoma Counties, extending some fifty-two (52) miles and forming the divide of the headwaters of the Russian River and Clear Lake. The Mayacamas Mountains drew people to their mineral springs before Lake County to the north even had electricity, and they are home to “the Geysers,” the world’s largest and most developed geothermal field. The Mayacamas mountains are believed to be named after their first human inhabitants, a Native American tribe on the west slope, associated with a Yukian Wappo Village.

The Mayacamas Mountains include Mt. St. Helena, which is Napa Valley’s prime reminder of its volcanic past; we associate the five peaks of this mountain with the New Tech Network’s five learning outcomes that we are embracing as our definition of an “educated person in the 21st Century”:

Knowledge and Thinking - The ability to reason, problem-solve, develop sound arguments or decisions, and create new ideas by using appropriate sources and applying the knowledge and skills of a discipline.
Written Communication - The ability to effectively communicate content knowledge and thinking through writing by organizing and structuring ideas and using discipline appropriate language and conventions.
Oral Communication - The ability to effectively communicate content knowledge and thinking through oral interactions and presentations.
Collaboration - The ability to demonstrate effective communication, responsibility, initiative, and leadership in order to be a productive member of diverse teams.
Agency - The ability to reflect on the development of self-management skills, learning habits, and mindsets.[1]

The name Mayacamas Charter Middle School invokes many qualities that align with our goals for the school: strong geographic ties to our community, five peaks denoting the five learning outcomes, enduring strength, and the geysers, imbued with the energy that lies within us, like the warmth and energy that has emanated from Mt. St. Helena for ages.

[1] NewTechNetwork.org.